Fox Demons
by fierynightangel
Summary: cont. of vampiric instincts story: kagome's a demon, goes to konoha, runs into an old friend, new adventures... mou! semi-major rewrites/reposting going on. just posted an author's note!
1. Author's Notes

My apologies to everyone that's waiting for the next up date, but as the summary says, going through and doing semi-major rewrites, trying to bring more of the other characters, rather than mostly focusing on Team 7 and the Sunans. Like one of the scenes I am writing in involves Hinata and Neji. Basically just trying to put in more interplay between the characters and help the story along a bit. Plus, just don't wanna get ahead of myself on posting. Vampiric Instincts gave me permission to go through and redo the start of the story as I see fit if I'd like as well, and I'm thinking about doing that...Will let you know on that one. At the moment, here's the start of Fox Demons. Any suggestions or ideas would be welcome. Can't promise that I'll end up using them, but hey, I might. Ya never know. Now, back to the insanity that is trying to write this freaking story!


	2. Chapter 32

As a few familiar auras suddenly, and quite deliberately, pinged on her own, Kagome's head came up with a gasp. As Gaara gave her a questioning look, a confused smile made it's way onto her face. "Nisha?!"

With a grin, 'Nisha' leapt from the trees to land easily in front of her friend and her new mate. She was followed by a few males, all quite a bit taller than the girl. As Kagome launched herself at the girl, she was met with open arms. When they pulled apart, Kagome stared at the girl. "What? _How?_" was all she could coherently get out.

The girl in front of her, a bit taller than Kagome with blood red hair and eyes, and _several_ obvious piercings and tattoos, laughed. "It was easy, imouto. Come, let's go sit under the trees and we'll explain."

Nodding, Kagome led the way to the trees and everyone took a seat, with Kagome once again ending up in Gaara's lap. Once everyone was situated, she turned her gaze to her friend, looking at her expectantly.

Once again, 'Nisha' laughed. "Since 'Gome's the only one that knows us, first order of business, for us anyway, is that we introduce ourselves. The elements of this world made sure that we were up to date on all current events and who's who, so no need to worry about that. My name is Kirinketsu Nisha, and this is Jei, Schuldig, and Lucian. We've known 'Gome here since she was little. Hell, my parents used to baby-sit her, and mama used to baby-sit me all the time whenever we'd make it to Japan. At least, until I got old enough. Then I baby-sat her."

"But, how did you get here? How did you get past the guards at the gate? Just _what _are you?! _And when did you get all those piercings and tattoos?!_"

Nisha laughed. "I was wondering when your latent possibilities would awaken." She gave Kagome a bird-like stare, her head tilted sideways, then nodded. "Ookami and kitsune, ne? And it looks like your miko powers have awakened too." Looking a bit closer, she let out a low whistle. "Damn, girl! Where were you hiding all that power?! You got a hollow leg or somethin?" As everyone blinked at her, Nisha giggled. "What? It's not like it's that hard, so long as you can 'see' it. Now, to answer your questions. As you can tell, or at least Kagome can, we're not human. We are dragons. Not dragon youkai, _actual dragons_. As in the ones that used to take the royals to heaven, etc. We are made, quite literally, from Suoh himself. And he's also how we got here, to this world at least. From our entry point, we made it here to Konohagakure quite easily. We can hide ourselves rather well, and rather easily, at that. He thought you might like some friends and some help."

"Um, more like you did," Schuldich muttered.

Nisha stuck her tongue out at him. "So I wanted to see my friend again. Plus, we've never been here. I wanted to check this place out. And I forgot that you hadn't seen me without my illusions, or henges to use the native word, before. Some are birthrights. Most aren't," she smirked, showing the tip of a fang.

The one known as Kakashi asked, "But how is it that no one's been alerted to your presence yet?"

Nisha directed her smirk at him. "That's for me to know and for you..... not to know," she stated smugly. "At least, not yet."

"How can you be actual dragons? I thought that they were just myths," a blond with whisker like marks on his cheeks asked.

"All myths and legends have a basis in reality, Naruto. Take the yokai, or bijuu here, for example. For most people and cultures, that's all the yokai are, is just a myth. Yet here you three are. And look at our earth, 'Gome. Or rather, our past. Yokai everywhere!"

Kagome gave her a startled look. "What?! How'd you know?!"

Nisha snorted and rolled her eyes. "Been there, done that. It's rather nice. The only thing better is our planet, but only barely."

Jei, his one eye twinkling, suddenly started coughing, slipping "Sesshomaru" out in between coughs. As the other two started snickering, Nisha glared at him. He gave her an innocent look. Finally, she sighed and looked away.

Kagome gave her a sad look. "How was he?"

"Sad. Angry. Hurt."

"But getting over it," Jei muttered. Nisha's head snapped over to glare at him again while he tried to look as innocent as he could and the others started snickering again.

"Nisha, care to explain," Kagome asked softly, a small grin on her face. A grin that widened as she caught the slight change in her friend's scent. Now Sesshomaru's cinnamon and rain scent mixed with Nisha's scent of amber and dragon's blood.

"No."

This caused the entire group to snicker. Nisha sighed again, this time in defeat. "And onto a completely different subject, if you two would like, I can weaken the bond between the two of you," she offered to Kagome and Naruto. "The telepathic link will still be there, but it won't be as strong, and your lives wouldn't be connected like that."

They gaped her. "You can do that?!"

Nisha laughed. "Hai! Easily! I _am_ the child of a God after all!"

"What will it take," Naruto asked suspiciously.

"Just a few minutes," Nisha answered calmly. "And for everyone to be quiet," she stated, pointedly looking at her companions, who just looked at her innocently. With yet another sigh, this one resigned, she turned back to Kagome and Naruto. "Sorry Gaara, but I need you to let her go for the moment. I need her and Naruto to sit next to each other in front of me." Once they were situated, Nisha closed her eyes and easily slipped into a meditative trance. Once she was at the proper depth, she opened her eyes. Yup, there were the threads binding them. Very carefully, Nisha unraveled the thread, leaving just a few strings connecting the two. "That should do it," she said, blinking a few times. "You two are still connected, but only slightly. Not nearly as close as you were before. More like a slightly stronger connection than what twins have been known to have. Now, Kagome, you can go. Naruto, Gaara, I'd like to take a look at your seals. I might be able to do something about those as well." And as the rest of the group gaped at her, Nisha carefully scanned the rest of them, deciding from the taste of one particular aura not to mention his curse seal to the group at large. "I'll leave Sasuke's until we can both look, imouto. Your powers are more of holy bent than mine are." Then she took a closer look at Sasuke and bit her bottom lip as she tried not to start snickering. After a moment, she cast a pleading look at Lucian, who sighed and rolled his eyes as he nodded. Both hands held desperately over her mouth, Nisha ran off further into the trees. Moments later, the sound of her laughter reached the group. The native nin and Kagome sweat-dropped in classic anime fashion while Nisha's companions hung their heads.

After a bit, after Lucian had finished with Gaara and Naruto, Nisha rejoined the group, still wiping tears from her eyes. "Oh my.... Sasuke, after we take a look at your mark, we really need to talk."

"About what," he asked suspiciously, giving her a dark glare.

"Maa, we'll wait until Kagome and I have both gotten to look at the curse mark. It can wait until then." And though she tried to hide it, one could still see the glimmer of amusement shining in Nisha's eyes. And as she scanned the group again, she was just in time to see Kakashi getting ready to send Naruto off to alert the Hokage. Forestalling him, she pouted. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to pull this out just yet....." And smirking, she pulled out a scroll. "It's keyed to any of the sensei. I'm sure you know the drill."

Without a word, Kakashi took the scroll and bit his thumb. As the blood welled up, he smeared it on the seal. With a small glow, it released, and he unrolled it. Instantly, the rest of the teachers gathered around him, and read over his shoulder. One by one, they all lifted their heads up to stare at her. As their teachers stared at her, the students all turned to stare at her as well. Nisha just continued to stand there and smirk at them, while her companions just rolled their eyes. Finally, Naruto spoke up, asking the question that was on everyone's tongues. "Just what does the scroll say?"

Nisha's smirk got bigger. "Basically, it says that me and mine are friends and allies of the village and are allowed access to anywhere we wish. And that the only one we have to answer to other than Suoh, however vaguely, is Tsunade while we are in Konohagakure."

He gaped at her. "For real?!"

Nisha nodded calmly. "For real, Naruto. Signed and sealed by Tsunade herself."

"How'd you manage that?!"

Nisha laughed. "Well, for one, I told her a trick to getting all the paperwork done faster. Then another, well, when a _God_ appears in your office, you tend not to argue very much. And, well, she had her pet interrogator brought in," she explained, wearing the 'it was an accident, I swear!' look, poking her index fingers together. "I kind of, um, broke him......."

"What was the trick," Naruto asked, completely ignoring the 'pet interrogator' comment.

"Kage bushin," Nisha smirked, though she didn't completely lose her previous expression of unintentional guilt.

Naruto stared at her for a moment, then busted out laughing. After a bit, he calmed enough to say, "And she says _I'm _slow!" Then he was laughing once more.

With a sigh, everyone walked away a few steps and left him on his own. It was then that Kagome noticed what Nisha was wearing.

"NISHA! WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!"

Said person snickered. "Took ya long enough." And with a smirk, she spun in place slowly. "You like?"

Her jaw still on the ground, Kagome and everyone else took in what the newest addition to their village was wearing. Dark blood red hair bound in lots of tiny braids that ended in various things, from little chimes to silver charms, was up in pigtails on top of her head. Kohl outlined her eyes, while her lips were covered in crimson lipstick. A soft black leather corset hugged her body, with the silver buckles on the front glistening in the sun. A leather choker covered with chains and tiny chimes just like the ones in her hair clung to her neck. A tiny pleated skirt in black denim with a large skull and crossbones patch on the left hip was around her waist, and a fishnet bodysuit with off the shoulder sleeves that ended in gloves on her hands and also went all the way down over her feet, not that anyone could see, encased her body under her clothes. Industrial combat boots with the toes covered bright pink duct tape encased her feet, while her socks were striped in hot pink and black. Attached to her person in several places, some obvious, some not, Nisha had various weapons. Among said weapons were several knives of various sizes and styles, an amazing number of kunai, shuriken, and senbon, and a pair of wakazashi at her waist. Leaning against the tree next to her was a modified naginata (a.n.: the one out of budk, the site has it listed as 'Japanese naginata sword'), with the blade and the handle of almost equal length, and the blade coming to a sharp point, with the back being swept back into a point as well. One could also see various things bulging in the rigs strapped to her legs around the holsters and a med kit or two strapped to her waist.

As they gaped at her, Nisha smirked at them. "Never seen anything like me, have you? I never go without a weapon, or two, or several, but I left the armor off since I really doubt that we're gonna see any fighting today. Or any real fighting that is." Her smirk got even smirkier. This was gonna be fun!


	3. Chapter 33

Sorry folks! Working on reposting as fast as I can. Darn you, mundania! -shakes fist at mundane world-

Once they were done for the day and most the others had left, a few stubborn ones to seek medical help, Nisha looked over at Kagome. "So. Know anywhere good we can stay?"

Kagome shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've only been here for a couple days myself, and I've been staying with Gaara."

Nisha smirked at her. "I can tell." And as Kagome blushed, Nisha chuckled. "Congrats you two. Remind me to give you a soundproofing spell later, Kags. I'm sure that the others that live there will appreciate it." Now Gaara was blushing as well, making Nisha's companions chuckle along with her. "Now, let's find some food, and you can tell me just what you were doing in the Sengoku Jidai, Kagome," Nisha said pointedly. "And how the hell did you put up with that Inuyasha?! And just what has he been doing, to smell like a graveyard?!"

Kagome sighed. "Let's go eat and then I'll tell you the story," she promised. "Gaara needs to hear it too."

Hearing that they were looking for somewhere to eat, Naruto popped up. "I know somewhere good to eat!"

Raising an eyebrow, Nisha glanced over at Kagome. "Ramen addict?"

"Hai," Kagome sighed.

Nisha chuckled. "Fine, Naruto. We'll go somewhere that has ramen, but _not_ just ramen, okay?"

"Ichiraku has more than just ramen!"

Everyone just rolled their eyes as Nisha spoke. "Uh, no. That's why it's a _ramen_ bar." Now everyone's eyes were on her once again. She just stared back. "I said at the beginning that the elements made sure we were up to date on everything. So why don't we do this? Everyone just go get what they want and we meet back here for a picnic? That way more room, and everyone can get what they want to eat. And no trying to find enough seating for everyone."

With nods and vocalizations of agreement, the native nin all vanished, leaving Gaara, Kagome, Nisha, Lucian, Jei, and Schuldig standing there. None were surprised that Naruto was the first gone. All just shaking their heads at the boy, Nisha suddenly assumed an expression of extreme concentration. After blinking a few times, during which her eyes darkened with what looked like anger, and concentrating a bit longer, her eyes suddenly locked with Schuldig's. "You guys know what I like," she stated. "I need to speak with Tsunade." And before anyone else could say anything, she was off, leaping through the trees with a speed and ease that put the majority of the native nin to shame.

In seconds, she was standing before Shizune's desk in full 'pissed off royalty' mode. "I need to speak with her. _NOW._"

Nodding, Shizune scurried to the door to Tsunade's office. Throwing it open, she dashed to over to the desk and shook Tsunade awake. Ignoring the glares, Shizune desperately whispered into her ear. As soon as she was done, Tsunade sat straight up and went into Hokage mode.

"Now, I know you've taken Sakura under your wing, and I know that Naruto is one of your best, if not _the_ best, but do you have any idea of how little training he's actually had?! Other than the group training sessions, Kakashi barely trained either of them at all! All his attentions were on Sasuke! Which I do understand why, let's make that clear right now. However, the boy's lucky that Jiraiya took him under his wing!" Forcing herself to stop, Nisha closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. "I have to journey to Wave on a personal matter. I will not be going alone, and I will not be accompanied solely by the ones that came with me. Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata _will_ be going with me, that is for certain. I would prefer it if all the 'Rookie Nine' and Team Guy could accompany me. If it will help, consider this a 'mission' for them, though it'll be more along the lines of a training vacation/sabbatical for their mental health. Tell their parents whatever you want about this 'mission.' If you have to, you can send them to me, and I'll take care of them. Rank it whatever you want, I'll be paying them myself though."

"Why do you want all of them to accompany you," Tsunade asked carefully.

"Because I have the feeling that this trip is something that they could all use. You're lucky that none have a strong gift of empathy. The poor soul would be driven to suicide after just hours in the village. Even now, I can feel it all pulsing against my shields. Now, the only adults I would permit to accompany us at the moment will be Kakashi and Iruka. Kakashi 'cause he needs this 'vacation' just as much as the students, and Iruka 'cause he's the closest thing to a father Naruto has, and I think that it'll be good for everyone for someone like him to be along. They will not be acting as sensei if they come though. On this trip, rank ain't gonna mean shit. They'll be there to help us chaperone. Oh, and I have the feeling that Kagome and the Sand trio are gonna end up going with us too. That'll be 'cause Gome and I have some catching up to do, and Gaara ain't gonna want to let her go by herself."

Tsunade sighed, obviously wishing for some sake. "Shizune, send someone to fetch Kakashi and Iruka, if you would." She looked at Nisha. "I assume you'll take care of the rest?"

"Hai. I'll stay long enough to explain to Kakashi and Iruka a bit, then I'm gonna rejoin the students and tell them. We'll leave out by the end of the week. Dunno when we'll be back. Don't worry though. I'll arrange something so that the village won't be entirely undermanned or anything." And smiling, Nisha stepped back to wait.

Soon, Kakashi and Iruka joined them, Kakashi reading his ever present orange book o'smut. Throughout the entire meeting with Tsunade, he kept it out and in front of his face.

Her eyes narrowing, Nisha made a hidden gesture and summoned one of the tiny dragons that had claimed her. Still glaring at that book, she made a few more gestures with her hands. Lightly squeezing her shoulder with his feet to show he understood, he quietly lifted off. As soon as he had enough height, the diminutive dragon went into a dive, and quite easily snatched the book right out Kakashi's unsuspecting hands.

Ignoring the glare Kakashi sent her way, along with the amused smirks of Tsunade and Iruka, Nisha accepted the book from her companion and tucked it away. "I know that you're a genius and all, but there's much better books you could be reading than smut. I don't care if you continue to read it in private, but if you decide to go with us, I'll give you a scroll of books you can read instead. I catch you reading this when you shouldn't, _at the very least_, I'll take it from you," she warned as the dragon perched on her shoulder. "And Iruka-san, you needn't worry about your class. If Tsunade don't have anyone that can sub for ya, I can take care of that with no problem," she promised with a shrug. "She did tell you two that this was to be a training vacation of sorts, right?" When both nodded, she sighed in relief. "Good. You two have until the end of the week to decide if you're gonna come with. Just let me or one of the three that came with me know either way. I'm gonna get back to the others now. Tsunade, thank you," she stated. "You have definitely earned me as a willing ally now." And with that, she moved her hands into the proper sign and vanished.

She reappeared standing next to Lucian. After a quick counting of heads to make sure that all the ones she wanted were there, she called out, "Ok, eyes up here please." Once she had everyone's attention, she continued. "This weekend, I am leaving on a personal journey to Nami and the world beyond. The twelve of you from here in Konohagakure will be accompanying me. It's being written down in the books as a mission, however, it's only being called that as a cover. You will still be paid though, but it will be more of stipend, like what one would receive at a boarding school. This will be a training vacation of sorts for the twelve of you. We will be gone for a decent bit of time so make sure to pack enough clothes, etc. You're welcome to bring whatever books and such you wish. I'd recommend packing extra scrolls or something to take notes and such in as needed. Don't worry about food or tents, we'll cover that. Saturday morning at ten is when we're leaving. Gome, Suna trio, you're welcome to come along as well of course. And if anyone needs storage scrolls to pack stuff in, we have plenty to go round as well. Don't hesitate to ask about anything." And as Kagome gave her a 'duh' look, Nisha smirked at her. "That is all. You may now return to your previously scheduled meal." And with that, she easily sank to the ground and took a seat next to Lucian amidst the chuckles of the group. As she accepted her food from Schuldig, Nisha took a closer look at the group. Smirking, she took a bite. As everyone finished eating, they began to leave in groups of two and three. Soon it was just the Suna trio, Kagome, and Nisha and her companions. "So, can you guys suggest a hotel?"

Gaara looked at her, his expression blank. "You're welcome to stay with us for now."

She gave him a bright smile. "Thanks Gaara! We appreciate that. That reminds me." And with that, she tossed Kagome a scroll. "You're gonna want that later." And as Kagome blushed a bright red, Nisha turned to Gaara. "I know Lucian did a bit with your seal earlier, but I'd like to take a look at it myself. I may be able to do something about Shukaku's pms'ing all the time. Especially if my theory is correct. I'll wait until we're at your manor though. The feel of it will be a bit more peaceful. I want Kagome there as well. The whole priestess thing, among others."

They both nodded as Nisha looked over at Temari and Kankuro. "You're both welcome to be there as well, but you have to do what I say," she warned.

They shared a look, then turned back to her and nodded. "You better not hurt him," Temari warned.

"I can't promise anything, but I will heal whatever physical damage is done." Nisha turned back to Kagome. "Tomorrow, I want you to find the holiest, most pure place you can in the area. Mark it with this," she ordered, holding out a shimmery kunai. "Just lightly touch it with your miko ki to activate it."

Slowly, Kagome took it. "The energy coming from this, is, just, wow. What is it made from?"

Nisha smiled at her. "A few scales from my dragon form. Before we leave, you and I are gonna do something about Sasuke's curse mark. I have the feeling it will take the both of us. Now," she said, linking her arms with Kagome's and Gaara's, "let's get to the manor so I can help Gaara. And tomorrow, I'll do the same for Naruto, if my theory proves correct." And with Temari and Kankuro following, and a small smile on Gaara's face, they headed out.

***

At the manor, they found themselves seated in the living room. From one of her pockets Nisha pulled a small vial. As she opened it, the smell of the dragon's blood oil filled the room. Getting a bit on her finger, she dabbed it on Gaara's forehead, on his third eye chakra point, then did the same to herself. "Now, I want you to start meditating. You should 'feel' me holding a hand out to you soon. I want you to take it. Once we reach that point, we'll go from there." And as Gaara nodded and closed his eyes, Nisha turned to the other three. "If you would like, I can bring you with us. However, you will only be in the background, except for maybe Kagome, and that's because of her training and power as a miko." Without a word, all three nodded. "Good. Come over here and put a hand on me then. I'll bring the three of you in, then connect with Gaara." Within seconds, everyone was situated and ready to go.

Easily dropping into a trance, Nisha found the minds of Temari, Kankuro, and Kagome, and linked them with hers. That done, she reached out to Gaara. Hesitantly, he took her 'hand.'

Smiling gently, she used her aura to wrap him up in a warm hug, emanating encouragement and love. _:It's okay Gaara. I have the feeling that things will be a lot better for you in regards to Shukaku after this. And look, your brother and sister even came along to make sure I didn't do anything to you. Even with your past, they still care for you. And so does Kagome, obviously. You have a lot of people that care for you, including myself, otouto. We are all here for you.: _And after giving him another squeeze, she pulled back to where she was just holding his hand._ :Now, take us to Shukaku's cage. And don't worry. With the four of us here with you, he or anyone else, won't be able to do a thing to you.: _

With a slow nod, he took them deep with himself, to where the raccoon dog demon was caged.

As they approached, the demon raised his head. As soon as he saw Nisha, he scrambled to his feet and began bowing repeatedly, as deep as he could go. _:Hime-dono!:_

Nisha gave him a gentle smile as she approached the bars of his cage. _:At ease, Shukaku. Now, tell me what happened to put you in such a mood? Something to do with someone that just so happens to have the initials U. M. perhaps?:_

He gaped at her. _:But, how?!:_

She gave him another gentle smile. _:You forget who you are speaking with,: _she admonished lightly.

He hung his head. _:Gomen nasai, Hime-dono.:_

_ :Do not worry about it. Now come, let me look at you closely and see what I can to do to unravel his influence upon your mind.:_

Instantly, he was pressed as close as he could get to the bars of his cage, whimpering in his eagerness. Still bearing her gentle smile, Nisha reached out and began stroking his head. Through that touch, she sent her mind into his, and began to burn away the taint as gently as she could. The four with her watched in shock, for though he was obviously in a great deal of pain, he still pressed himself into her touch. Soon, the demon was standing on sheer strength of will alone from the pain, but he still held himself within her reach. As soon as she was done, however, he collapsed to the ground, panting and whimpering in pain as his body twitched. A sad smile on her face, she turned back to the other four. _:Gaara, come here please.:_ As soon as he was standing next to her, she turned her eyes back onto Shukaku's pain filled form. _:If the __two of you would like, I can meld the two of you the same way that Kagome and Kaami are. And Gaara, you need not worry about his anger or trying to take you over in your sleep any more. I have burned away all the taint that was Uchiha Madera in his mind. That was the dominant reason for his anger and thirst for blood. I have also taken care of what was left of your mother's presence, which accounts for another portion of said anger and blood thirst. That is all I will tell you. Anything more and you will have to ask him. Now, he is calm, or at least the normal range of calm for a tanuki yokai. Though they are not as bad as kitsune, they can still be trouble makers. And yes, in general, they are very perverted.:_

Gaara stared at the form in front of him, thinking on what Nisha had just told him and all that he had learned over the years on the subject. After a moment, he nodded silently. Nisha turned to look at him. _:This will hurt,:_ she warned. _:Things shall be a bit more more even though, after this. And Kagome, and I and mine shall teach you more of being a youkai in the days to come.:_ When he merely nodded once more, Nisha placed one hand on his third eye and one over his heart. Summoning her energy, she let it swirl around the three. Slowly, the bars of the cage faded away and Shukaku and Gaara were pulled closer together. As she began the process of merging the two, instead of one just being imprisoned in the other, both began to scream in pain. As Gaara fell to his knees, Nisha following, one could see the seal on his abdomen being burned away in a cloud of oily black smoke. Minutes later, the integration was complete. As soon as Nisha removed her hands, Gaara collapsed to the side, ending up laying across Shukaku's still form.

Waving Kagome forward, she waited as the miko examined them both. Giving a sigh of relief, she stood. _:They're fine. Just need to sleep themselves out so it can all settle into place.:_ As soon as she made that announcement, Temari and Kankuro both released the breath they'd been holding.

Nisha gave them a gentle smile. _:Come. Everyone back to their own minds and off to bed now. And no waking him in the morning. Kagome, you should probably stay with him until he wakes. I have the feeling that he'll freak out rather spectacularly if you're not. Better put up that soundproofing spell as well:_ Blushing, Kagome nodded to show that she understood. Still smiling, she gently broke the link she had with Gaara's mind and returned the other three to their own minds. As soon as she and the other three, Kagome in particular, came out of their trances, Nisha heard three obvious sighs of relief.

Quirking an eyebrow, Nisha looked at her companions curiously.

Schuldig held up a ball of roiling darkness. "This oozed out of him as you were working. We shielded it before it could attract anything, but it's gonna take you and Kagome to purify it."

Nisha nodded. "Let's go outside then. I don't want to accidentally damage anything with my flames." Taking Kagome's hand, she helped her to her feet as she looked over at Jei and Lucian. "One of you watch over Gaara until we get back. Temari, Kankuro, I shall see you in the morning." Then she and Kagome followed Schuldig outside to take care of the last problem of the night.


	4. Chapter 34

Sorry folks! Working on reposting as fast as I can. Darn you, mundania! -shakes fist at mundane world- Anyway, sorry it's a bit short. Just had to post it!

Sitting on the roof, Nisha tapped the end of the pen against her cheek. To save time, she was making up a questionaire, asking the kids about their training, their schooling, individual skill sets, what they wanted to learn, goals in life, stuff like that. It would make it easier when coming up with her lesson plans. She had also started a journal that she would be filling with her notes on their progess, changes made to the lesson plans for someone, etc etc. She had already filled several pages with just what she'd picked up from observing them today. Like she knew that Naruto and Gaara had massive amounts of chakra, from being jinchuuriki. Sasuke has the sharingan, as does Kakashi, his sensei. Sasuke also had increased chakra levels from the curse mark and his own bloodline. It was obvious to see that the dojutsus and such came from demonic heritages. Thanks to the curse mark, it elevated his standing from just a human with demonic heritage to that of a hanyou, however. That means special training for him. However, of the three of them, Naruto was the only one with poor chakra control, which means a _lot_ of extra training for him. And with his plans of becoming the Hokage, there was the training he needed to start for that as well. And Sakura, it was obvious that she needed a lot of help too. She had been the only normal one on a team of prodigies and geniuses, so she had the mental issues from that, as well as the childhood ones, including her obsession with Sasuke, to work through.

Whimpering, Nisha hung her head. Just what had she gotten herself into?!


	5. Chapter 35

Sorry folks! Working on reposting as fast as I can. Darn you, mundania! -shakes fist at mundane world- Here's a nice long chapter or two. Enjoy!

The next morning found Nisha, dressed in an outfit of a small t-shirt and urban camo bdus over similar fishnets and stockings to those of the day before as well as the over abundance of gear, at an outside cafe. Absently, she was sipping a cup of green tea and and stroking the side of Lucian, who was laying next to her in his wolf form. Spread out in front of her were the housing ads, almost completely hiding the small pot of tea that was sitting under a cozy.

"If you stare at that any more intently, it just might burst into flames."

"Huh? Oh. Hi, Sasuke. Care to join me?"

Smirking, the pale teen knelt on the other side of her corner, so that he was sitting diagonal to her. "What were you staring at so seriously?"

Still holding onto her cup, she scowled at the paper. "Housing ads. Thinking of building a small compound here in Konohagakure, but having some trouble with some of the abbreviations that they use."

As the waiter showed up, Sasuke just asked for another cup to be brought out. Once said item had been supplied, he added a squirt of honey to the cup before pouring a cup of tea for himself. "Well here, do you have some scratch paper I can write it all down on?"

Pursing her lips, Nisha dug around on the table a bit, unearthing a map of the village and an pencil, but no scratch paper. Finally she just tore a corner off one of the other sections of the newspaper. "Here. This will do. Don't want to get too much other stuff on the map, for obvious reasons."

Nodding, he bent over the paper for a few minutes, quickly scribbling out the translations needed. When he was done, he handed it back to her. "There. That should help. As you find ones that sound promising, give me the address and I'll mark it on the map for you," he offered.

"Bless you," she stated with heartfelt thanks.

Some time later, they were finished, and Nisha was paying the bill. After a few minutes of walking, she suddenly spoke, startling Sasuke, though he was very careful not to show it. "I hope you're not going to try and use me to get to Kagome, or that I'm your second choice or anything." As he openly gaped at her, she gave him a small smile. "Really, if you'd just open your eyes, you'd see that you have those here that love you almost more than life itself. You just need to let go of the past."

"Wha-?"

She smiled gently. "You are taught to look underneath the obvious. What about what is underneath that? Sometimes it takes more than just looking at something once or twice to know what is truly there." And as he continued to gape at her, she looked at the map in her hand. "Now, the first one should be here close by. Let's take a look, shall we?"

The day passed in that manner, with Nisha, Lucian, and Sasuke looking at properties, and Nisha making insights that were sometimes painful for the repressed prodigy. The evening found Sasuke going off to think, and Nisha perching in a tree near the Killed in Action memorial to finish the questionnaire. It was there that Kagome and Gaara found her.

"Yes?"

"I found a spot and marked it, like you asked."

"Thank you." And she summoned one of her creatures, this one a raven. "What is tomorrow's moon?"

"The first night after the full moon. Why?"

"Hmmmmm..... That could be of the good. The Mother will be strong still, and we'll have the aspect of the Crone, the grandmother, and if there's one thing that boy could use it's a mother or two. However...." After examining the sky and feeling out the placement of the kunai she'd given Kagome, she gave the raven her orders. "Tell Sasuke to meet me at Ichiraku's at sundown, if we're not already together. After that, I want you to tell the same to Naruto and Sakura. Before I send you off though...." And she looked down at Kagome. "Ne, would Kaami be offended if I merged Naruto and Kyuubi?"

After a moment of focusing inward, Kagome shook her head 'no.' "She says that it would be good for the boy, and that it wouldn't be a true merge like hers and her brother's, since it would have been facilitated by an outside force."

Nodding, Nisha turned back to the raven. "And tell Naruto to come meet us at Gaara's manor. Is that all right, Gaara?"

"Yes."

"Arigato. Do you have that?"

The raven cawed. "Hai. Hai."

"Good. Then off you go," she stated, tossing the bird into the air. And as soon as it was air born under it's own power, it was off. Nisha smiled down at Kagome and Gaara. "Shall we go and see what Manii has for dinner then?" And without even waiting to see them nod, she was off, making her way through the trees.

***

They were followed through the door by Naruto, who had arrived seconds after they did. Apparently, the raven, who went by the name Morrigan, had decided that he should be the first that she went to. Chuckling, Nisha let Kagome and Gaara take the lead.

"That bird said you wanted to see me," Naruto asked, curiously.

"Hai, I did. I know that Lucian did a bit with your seal yesterday, but I have something that I would like to try for myself after dinner. If my theory is correct, I will have a way to help with Kyuubi-san, the same as I have already done for Gaara-kun. After I explain it, you'll be able to ask questions of the two of us. Kagome might be able to answer a few as well, being that she is a miko yokai after all."

"What do you mean, help with Kyuubi?"

"What I am going to attempt to do is merge the two of you together, like I have already done for Gaara and Shukaku, and like Kaami did with Kagome. And since Kaami is basically royalty for kitsune, I cleared it with her, and she's fine with it. Says it'll be good for you."

Naruto gaped at her. "WHA-?!"

"Exactly what I said," she replied calmly. "Come, let's go eat and you can question Gaara all you like about it." With that reminder, Naruto dashed past her and was taking a seat across from Gaara. Shaking her head, Nisha made sure to sit near them, mostly to keep an eye on Naruto.

After dinner, during which Naruto pestered Gaara with so many questions that Nisha had to give him multiple time outs just so Gaara could eat, she looked to Naruto. "Well?"

"Yeah! I wanna do this!"

Nodding, she merely set out for her room, the others following. In the room, she had Naruto take off his weapons and the like before she had him sit on the bed. She even tossed the top corner down, to make it easier afterwards.

Once again taking out the vial of dragon's blood oil, she dabbed it on Naruto, then on herself. After quirking a questioning eyebrow at her guardians, to which they nodded, she entered her trance. Soon, she was connected to Naruto and they were headed towards Kyuubi.

:_Hime-dono,:_ the fox greeted casually.

:_Kyuubi. You heard what we were talking about. You know why I'm here. What say you?:_

:_What say I..... Why, I say aye of course. I want that man's taint gone from my body. And Kaami was right, it would be good for the boy if we were to merge.: _The fox looked around. _:Aside from the fact that I was imprisoned here, I have come to like the kit. And if he continues to channel my energies as he is now, he would die, which is not something I want, not for him, any way. For a human, he's not too bad......:_

Wordlessly, Nisha held out a hand. Kyuubi, who had taken human form, took it. Giving him an apologetic look, she sent her energy into him. By the end of it, he was on his knees, as was she. After giving the kitsune some time to recover, she called Naruto over. Taking his hand in her free one, she set her energy loose to enshroud the three of them and began the integration process. Once again, the seal was burned away into a cloud of oily black smoke, this time a bit more malevolent than Gaara's had been. However, she could feel the difference in the energies. The Yondaime's was clean, and full of hope and love. The other was the complete opposite. Also, once again, the two ended up collapsed one on top of the other. Withdrawing, Nisha woke from her trance to find that they'd managed to catch hold of the taint once more. This time, Nisha and Kagome burned it then and there, not wanting to risk it escaping.

Once it was done, all sought their beds, though Nisha insisted on a puppy pile with her guardians in with Naruto. The contact with taint such as that two nights, soon to be three, was sure to give her nightmares. With her guardians there, they wouldn't bother her. And Naruto could use the comfort as well, with all that he'd be going through in the night. And so it was with a happy sigh that Nisha settled in for the night, snuggled in with her own life-sized teddy bears, all four of them emanating comfort, love, assurance, and acceptance for poor Naruto.

***

In the morning, as he awoke, Naruto couldn't figure out why he was warm and comfortable, and felt loved and protected, but couldn't really move. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked around. He had Nisha in his arms, each of them holding onto the other like a teddy bear. Her companions were all spread out around them, holding onto the two of them protectively. As he stirred, Nisha moaned. "No wakey," she muttered, burying her face deeper into his chest. "S'eepy time."

With soft chuckles, Naruto settled back down. It wasn't often that he got to sleep in this late, so by Kami he was gonna take advantage of it!

***

When Nisha woke later that morning, it was just her and Naruto in the bed. Yawning as she stretched, she gently shook him awake. "Ne, time to get up, Naruto."

After a bit more shaking, he finally stirred. "Nisha? What time is it?"

"Oh, about noon," she replied. "How do you feel?"

Blinking, Naruto thought about the question a bit before answering. "I feel fine. My body feels a lot better, like a great weight that I didn't know was there is gone."

Nisha smiled. "Good. You and Kyuubi are one being now, just like with Gaara, Kagome, and the full yokai you met in Kagome's world. Kyuubi is your inner demon now, not just a demon that was imprisoned in you."

He nodded slowly. "I'm not human anymore, am I?"

"I'm afraid not," Nisha replied softly. "Neither you nor Gaara are anymore. And for the moment, Kyuubi is suppressing the rather large amount of youki you now possess so you still look as you did before, with a few very slight changes. Shukaku is doing the same for Gaara."

"But what about Sakura? We've gotten to be kinda serious, even been talking about marriage."

Nisha smiled at him. "If you were to mate with her in the demon fashion, her aging would slow to match yours. You two would be bound together, but not like you and Kagome were, that if one were to die the other would die as well. No, anyone you mate with merely gains a demon's lifespan, and some of the abilities as well."

"Like what?"

"Well, why don't we go get something to eat, _not ramen_, and I'll catch you up with what Gaara knows so far. My treat."

Sighing, Naruto agreed.

And so they were soon out the door, off to find food. After a few minutes of arguing, they were being seated at the same cafe that Nisha had sat at yesterday while looking through the newspaper. As soon as the waiter had taken their orders and left, Naruto turned demanding eyes on Nisha. "Tell me what I need to know."

She sighed and cast a simple charm, one that would make any not specifically invited to the conversation hear something completely different than what was actually being discussed. As she spotted the waiter returning with their tea tray, she held up a hand, forestalling Naruto for the moment. As soon as the waiter had done his part and left, she sighed again, and spoke. "I'll tell you a bit for now. The rest is for you to learn from Kyuubi and on the trip. To continue where I left off earlier, anyone that you take for a mate will gain a few things. For one, as I already said, they'll gain a demon's lifespan. To go along with that, they'll also gain a few other things as well. All their senses will be upped. Energy levels will increase. Physical strength will increase, so will stamina, dexterity, and healing. Mostly just stuff like that, which is just the basic stuff. That stuff is the same from person to person, as well as the bond between mates. The bitee has to be willing, however, for the mating mark to stick. The biter will then be able to sense the other's emotions to an extent, and be able to sense their general location. If a yokai mates with a human, so long as said human is strong enough themselves, they can bite the yokai in turn, and the mark will stick as well, though the other still has to be willing for it to have any chance of it sticking. Personally, I think that if you and Sakura were to mate in this fashion, even now, she would be strong enough to mark you and have it stick. Any thing more than that depends on so many variables that it's impossible to predict. Now, the stuff you'll need to learn about being a yokai, Lucian, Schu, Jei, and I will be teaching you, Gaara, and Kagome about while on the pending trip." Taking a sip from her cup, Nisha eyed Naruto over the rim speculatively. Just as she opened her mouth to start questioning the boy, a storage scroll was nudged onto the table near her elbow. As her and Naruto shared puzzled looks, Nisha picked up the scroll and opened it. She found written on the scroll a list of names, and next to each name was sealed a copy of the questionnaire she'd written. After blinking a couple times, she pumped her fist into the air with a quiet, "Yosh!" Biting her thumb, Nisha was quick to press it to the seal at the top of the scroll, thereby unsealing the entire bunch. Grinning, she gave a trilling call, seconds after which Kauri, Morrigan, and several other creatures appeared, including some of Morrigan's murder. "Would you lot be dears and deliver these to the Konohan 12 and the Sunans?"

In reply, everyone grabbed a scroll and set off, leaving Nisha to do a happy dance in her seat. "Here," she stated, handing Naruto his. "Fill this out as thoroughly as you can then get it back to me, please." And before he could ask, she was even holding out an ink pen for him to use.

As he took the pen with a sigh and began filling the questionnaire out, Nisha resumed her happy dance.


	6. Author's Note

Apologies to everyone that's waiting for an update. Between writer's block and real life, just been so hard to get any where on it. Do have some written up, but trying to not get ahead of myself. Thankfully, The Rose and the Dagger's stories and a couple others, like the story 'Raiton Kage' and another that I just can't remember the title of right now, are helping get my mind back on track. Rose, will more than likely be using you as a sounding board and for help coming up with pranks... My thanks.


	7. Chapter 36

A couple hours later, they were joining the others at the training fields. There, she had Lucian pull Naruto and Gaara off to the side, to teach them tai chi, which would help channel their energies through their bodies more fluidly and naturally. When they were done, he would see that they were cleansed as well in preparation for the ritual. Once that was set up, she laid claim to Kagome and Sasuke, sending them off to ritually cleanse themselves and meditate until sunset. Jei and Schuldig she sent off to prepare the clearing. When Sakura insisted on joining as well, Nisha agreed. This would be a good time to talk to the girl. Soon, they were both sitting under a waterfall's freezing downpour. While Nisha had her feet tucked up into the lotus position, Sakura was just sitting under the waterfall like she would normally sit. After meditating for a bit, to make sure that her energies were at their peak, Nisha started talking to Sakura, mostly questioning her about the village itself. After hearing all that, and with all the emotional backlash she was getting from the twelve of them, this trip was very much needed.

Nisha sighed. On the whole, these were good kids. Most of them were in pretty good shape comparatively, but the rest... She just didn't know how they'd stood it for this long. She sighed again. At least the younger generation and their sensei were doing a good deal to change people's ideas of just who Naruto was. Even now that he and Kyuubi had been merged, he was still Naruto.

Finally, it was time. Slowly, her and Sakura made their way to the clearing that Kagome had found. Along the way, they were joined by first Kagome and Sasuke, then Lucian, Naruto, and Gaara. There, she was not surprised to find that the rest of the Konoha 12 and the Sunans were in the trees around the clearing, as well as Kakashi, Iruka, and even Tsunade, Shizune, and a few other adults, including the other sensei, lending their support. Once she stood in the center, she looked around the circle at them, smiling, letting them know that their presence was welcome. As Sasuke looked at her questioningly, her smile turned gentle. "Look to the trees, child. See how many have come. You may think that no one cares, but you are wrong. You need to let go of the past, else it keep you from your present." And with that, she sent everyone that was not to be a part of the upcoming ritual to wait in the tree line as well. As her three companions finished the preparations and closed the circle, Nisha's expression turned thoughtful. "He bit you to place the mark, correct?" Not even waiting to see his answer, she turned to the others and gave a nod of her own. Without a word, Jei, Lucian, Schuldig, and Gaara went to the corners assigned them. She looked back down at Sasuke, who had taken the seat assigned to him. "I don't have to, but it will help greatly if I were to bite you myself. It's a path for the taint that has already been taken and is established, and so will cause the least pain and resistance. However, this will be painful, no matter what. I will need you to activate the Sharingan as well though, and keep it activated, no matter what, as well."

And while he thought about it, Nisha gestured to Sakura and Naruto. Without a word, Sakura came to kneel in front of Sasuke, and Naruto behind him. Finally, he nodded, activating the Sharigan as she'd said. Nodding back, she looked at Kagome, who knelt and took his hands. As she moved to kneel behind Sasuke and slightly off to the side, his two teammates wrapped their arms around him in a hug, putting all their love and strength into the hugs and their auras. Once she was in position, Nisha looked up at Kagome, who was already starting to glow with her reiki. Slowly, the two nodded to each other, as Nisha took a slow deep breath and centered herself. With another slow breath, she entered her trance and melded with Kagome. Lengthening her fangs, she sank her teeth into Sasuke's shoulder, and sent their consciousness down through the bite, easily following the path of the taint through his body. Pulling her teeth out, Nisha cupped her hands over the wound as Kagome's glow spread to Team 7. Their eyes focused on Sasuke, Nisha and Kagome began the process of purging the taint from Sasuke's body.

As the first waves of pain hit, Sasuke held out rather bravely. But as the pain continued to grow, he found himself weakening. As it reached levels he'd never felt before, he heard someone screaming, and realized that it was himself. Without thinking about it or even noticing, he ripped his hands from Kagome's grip and latched onto his teammates. One hand dug itself into Naruto's hair as he turned and buried his face into the teen's shoulder, still screaming. The other threw itself around Sakura, pressing her to him even tighter.

Raising up on her knees, Kagome cupped her hands over Nisha's, strengthening the pull. As was to be expected, the taint started fighting back, unleashing even more pain upon the boy, and releasing immense waves of hate.

Nisha and Kagome's eyes narrowed. Making sure her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, Nisha spoke. "Naruto! Sakura! Don't let up! Pour all your love and caring for Sasuke into your auras! Don't let the hate win!" And without realizing it, those outside the circle began to do the same, sending all their love for the boy into the circle as well.

As they felt the outpouring of emotion coming from Naruto and Sakura increase, as well as everyone that stood in the trees outside the circle, Nisha and Kagome shared savage grins. They _would_ win this!

And win they did. Between the combined forces of Nisha and Kagome, and the outpouring of emotion for the boy, the taint was purged from his body.

As the pain abruptly stopped, so too did Sasuke's screams. With a sob of relief, he went completely limp in his teammates arms, his body twitching as he continued to sob.

Nisha and Kagome gave each other weary smiles. While Jei opened the circle, Lucian came forward and gently scooped the boy up. Without his usual smirk, Schuldig helped the other two to their feet. Blinking her eyes a few times to clear them, Nisha turned to Gaara. "It cool if I bring them to your manor? They need someplace neutral to sleep after that, especially Sasuke."

Gaara merely nodded.

Nisha gave him a look of heartfelt thanks. "Don't worry about having rooms prepared for them. I was thinking puppy pile in my bed. They're gonna need it." She smirked. "Plus, it'll help keep me from having nightmares too."

Gaara gave a mild snort of amusement. Of course there would be an ulterior motive. But then, having Kagome there while he slept after Nisha had done something similar had helped. Though, he was rather grateful that they hadn't puppy piled him afterwards. A slight blush on his cheeks, he looked at Kagome, who blushed as well after realizing just what he was thinking about to make himself blush like that.

As they left the clearing, Sasuke still sobbing and whimpering a little, the others began to disperse as well. Before they'd made it very far however, there were a few changes in how they traveled. Naruto and Sakura were both being carried, one by Schuldig, the other by Jei. Gaara happily carried Kagome, and a dozing Nisha was being carried by one Hatake Kakashi, who'd insisted on coming along.

At the manor, Gaara carried Kagome to their room, while the other four carried their burdens to Nisha's room. After the first three were laid down, Schuldig held his hand over the bed and muttered for a few minutes. Slowly, the bed grew until it was more than large enough for all eight of them. Moving Team 7 to the middle of the bed, they tried to move Nisha to lay behind Naruto. When Kakashi tried to put her down, however, she refused to let go of him. Apparently she'd decided that he needed to be there too, and to that end, he was to be her teddy bear for the night. So after a bit of a struggle while he attempted to get free, it was with a sigh that he gave in. Soon after everyone was situated and comfortable, all were out cold, including Kakashi, to his great surprise.


	8. Chapter 37

The next morning, as they awoke, the ones piled into the bed quietly slipped out of bed, and out of the room. After a bit, it was just Sasuke. As he awoke to the quiet, he looked around. Not wanting any other human contact yet, he slipped out through the window. Making his way to the edge of town, he began to roam the woods, thinking. After a bit, he found himself atop the Hokage Monument. As he looked around, he spotted Nisha. Slowly, he made his way over and sat down next to her. "It wasn't aniki that killed the clan, was it?"

"No, it wasn't. He was gone on a mission, remember?"

Sasuke nodded silently. After a minute, he spoke again. "You know what really happened and where he is, don't you," he stated, rather than questioned.

"Hai. I do." After a moment, she said, "You may not like what I have to tell you though. Just remember, what I tell you is the truth." And she looked at him seriously. After he nodded, she returned her gaze to the forest below them. "The majority of the adult Uchihas were planning a coup. They were gonna take out the Hokage and take over the village. Since he was one of their strongest fighters, Itachi was to be a part of it. He didn't want to be though. So he went to the Sandaime with what he knew. After a few meetings between the two, he became a double agent. The plan was to ambush the ambush basically. The decision was to stop them, and try and limit the casualties as much as possible, even among the conspirators. The one behind it all, Uchiha Madera, found out. He was not happy, to say the least. He found allies in Danzou and Orochimaru. Between the three of them, they made a clone of Itachi, one without a heart or any emotions. Only hate. They waited until he was on a long term mission, a la Danzou. The day he left, they struck. As you know, they killed everyone but you, for their own fucked up reasons. Then, they used an ancient jutsu that Madera had found and sent Itachi away. He ended up with me and mine. Since then, the clone's been living his life, and he's been with me."

"Aniki," Sasuke whispered, his voice sad.

Gently, Nisha put her arm around him. "Don't worry. After we go to Nami, I plan on us going to the Sengoku Jidai. He's there, helping with Shippo and Rin. They took to him rather well, and he to them. I think it reminds him of being with you." She lightly stroked the top of his head with the arm that was wrapped around him as she leaned her head against his. "He told me about his childhood, and growing up with you. He hated that he had to be so cold to you like that. If he'd his choice, he'd have been a very different older brother. In fact, he told me that after the coup had been stopped, that he'd been planning on denouncing the name Uchiha and taking you with him when he left the family. He was even willing to have the Sharingan sealed in both of you so they wouldn't come after you guys. He'd rather deal with your hate for making that choice for you than you be dead at their hands. He was very much looking forward to the two of you being freed from them. He gave me a letter to give you, actually." And with her free hand, Nisha pulled it out of the air. Handing it to him, she gazed at him. "Would you like me to leave?"

His eyes on the envelope in his hand, he shook his head 'no.' "Don't leave," he asked, his eyes pleading.

She nodded. Gently, she squeezed his shoulders. "I won't. I'm here for you, just as I've been for your brother."

Looking back down at the envelope, Sasuke slowly opened it. Pulling out the folded papers, he unfolded them and began to read. By the end of it, he was in tears.

Carefully, Nisha pulled the letter from his hands and tucked it into a pocket. Then she pulled him completely into her arms and cradled him to her chest, gently rubbing his back and humming, but otherwise just letting him cry. After a few minutes, his sobs quieted, and he pulled away. "Thank you," he whispered, wiping his eyes.

"Not at all," Nisha replied. "I've done the same for your brother many times. As he was recovering from the fight with Madera, I can't tell you how many times he cried on my shoulder over what he'd been shown."

"What do you mean?"

Nisha sighed. "He didn't get sent away until after the massacre had happened, after he'd completed his mission. When Madera confronted him, he used the Sharingan to torture Itachi with visions of the massacre, to use his emotions against him. After a while, it started to work. He really loves you, Sasuke. If not for Fugaku and the others, he would have treated you so much better. He's been dying for the chance to be a real big brother to you." Nisha shook her head as she smiled. "You should see him now. He's very different from what you would remember from before the massacre. Without the clan continually pushing him and forcing him to be what he was not, the forced emotional repression, and everyone not seeing him as Itachi, just as the Uchiha prodigy... The difference is amazing."

"Tell me more about him," Sasuke pleaded.

Nisha smiled gently. "Only a little. He is very much looking forward to getting to know you, and you him, without the clan's interference." As Sasuke nodded eagerly, Nisha chuckled and turned to face him more fully. "Well," she began...

Later that day found Nisha speaking with Tsunade again. As she was seated, and she accepted Shizune's offer of tea, she gave Tsunade a serious look. "I have a long over due mission report, from one Kirinketsu Itachi, formerly Uchiha Itachi." And she calmly held out the manila envelope holding said report.

Both women gaped at her. "Itachi? But he's a missing nin!"

Nisha smirked at them. "Just read the report," she suggested, taking a sip of her tea. As the two women in front of her scrambled to open the envelope, she smirked lightly. While they read, Nisha quietly sipped her tea and watched Tsunade's bushin taking care of the vast amounts of paperwork required of the Hokage. Finally, after they'd both read it through three times, they looked up and gaped at her.

"All true," she promised calmly. "He is currently in mine and Kagome's past, helping Sesshomaru with Rin and Shippo. If you would like, I can have a few allies find the evidence you'll need?"

Tsunade gave her a cautious look. "What kind of allies? And why would you do this for us?"

Nisha gave her an evil grin. "The elemental kind. Kagome is one of those under my protection, as is Itachi. When she became friends with some of those of Konohagakure, they tentatively came under my protection as well. Same with Sasuke, on the premise that he's Itachi's otouto. Now they have earned it for themselves. So much so that I am looking for the land to build a compound of my own within the village, that I maybe close enough to help them. And because of the fact that I'm like Kagome in that I have maintained such a pure and loving heart, the elementals tend to flock to me. The fact that I have the strength and the power to see them and deal with them makes it even better." Both nodded in understanding. "So, shall I send them out?"

Sharing an evil grin with Shizune, Tsunade nodded. And as she began to cackle, Nisha summoned said elementals. Things were going to become a lot easier for Naruto from now on!

As she was preparing to leave Tsunade's office, she ran into Sasuke, who was coming in. "Nisha. You're here. Good. I need to speak with both you and Tsunade-sama."

Nisha blinked at him. "Oookkkaaaaayyyyyy..." And turning back around, she reentered Tsunade's office, followed by Sasuke. As she and Sasuke both took a seat, Tsunade gave them a startled look.

"What's going on?"

Nisha shrugged. "I'unno. Sasuke says he needs to speak with both of us." And with that, both women turned to look at him.

He gave them a nervous smile, a phenomenon unheard of for an Uchiha. As Nisha gave him an encouraging look, he drew in a deep breath. "I would like to officially denounce the Uchiha name, and with Nisha's permission, I would like to be adopted into her family, just as aniki was."

blink-blink... blink-blink... After doing this a few times, Nisha grinned. "To be honest, I was expecting this, just not this fast. I would be happy to welcome you into the family. But what shall be done with the Uchiha compound?"

Sasuke sighed in relief. "I don't care. I just want it torn down."

"Very well then," Tsunade replied slowly. "You'll have to go through and disable the traps though, so the demolition can occur safely."

"Gladly!"

Meanwhile, Tsunade and Shizune shared a look, and both hung their heads. "The Elders are gonna have a field day with this. Losing such a powerful clan..."

Nisha snickered. "Well, he is an adult, and he does have free will. And if you foresee them throwing that big of a hissy fit, why don't you just invite Suoh-papa to the meeting as well. I'm quite sure that he'd be able to handle them." And she sat there for a moment while they stared at her, stunned. Then they burst into laughter, with Tsunade nodding her agreement. Nisha smiled at her. "Just use the scroll he gave you. He'll take care of everything. Ja!"

"Wait!"

As Nisha turned back to look at the Hokage, said leader chucked something at her head. Easily catching it, she looked to see what it was, then grinned. "Dou itashimashte, Tsunade-sama," she replied, grinning as she bowed.

The Hokage grinned back. "You've earned it. In your case though, we'll use it to mark you as an ally, and not one of our nin. I'm glad you're on our side though. Naruto told me all about the sparring you did on your first night here."

Nisha chuckled. "Just don't forget, I'm not on the village's side, I'm on the side of the Konohan 12 and their sensei, which happens to includes you, Tsunade."

Chuckling as well, Tsunade nodded and she waved them off. "Tell that brat's older brother he's welcome back at any time."

Nodding, Nisha closed the door behind her as she followed Sasuke out.

As they left the Hokage's office, Nisha swung a companionable arm over Sasuke's shoulders. "So, shall we see if Gaara will let you stay at his manor until we leave, or would you rather find a hotel?"

"Honestly? I don't care," was his answer.

"What about your teammates? When did you wanna tell them?"

He turned pleading eyes on me. "Can we meet them for dinner and tell them then? I have a favor I'd like to ask you and Kagome."

"What's the favor," she asked.

He sighed. "I would like to be cleansed. I want my father's taint gone from me. Already, just from what I've learned, I've been able to let go of so much. This will help even more!"

Nisha gave gave him a hug. "Of course! Here, once we get outside, I'll send a message to Kagome and the others then. Hokage Monument would probably be best. Where would you like to go to eat?"

He sighed in relief. "Thank you. And I don't care. Pick somewhere."

Chuckling, Nisha guided him out of the tower. As soon as they hit the outside, she led him off to the side. Making a couple gestures, she summoned a couple of her critters, muttering that maybe she should just stop dismissing them. "Okay, Morrigan, go and fetch Kagome and Gaara. Ask them to meet us at the Hokage Monument. Tell them we'll be there soon." And she offered a fist to the raven. Cawing, the raven took it, and was soon winging off over the town. "All right Kauri. Go to Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto. Ask them to meet us at Teien no Hasu at 7 for dinner." And taking the proffered hand, the owl-falcon hybrid was off over the village as well. Grinning, she turned to Sasuke. "Ready?"

"Hai." And with that, he took off over the roofs, Nisha close behind. In no time at all, they were at the monument. Dragging a finger through the air, she opened a rift to the pocket dimension she'd been able to access since she was ten. Sticking her head in, Nisha began to go through her storage scrolls, ignoring the strange look from Sasuke. "Now where is it? I know I have that scroll in here somewhere..." And after a bit more digging, she finally found it. "Ah-ha," she exclaimed finally. And pulling back out, she laid the scroll next to her. Looking up, she noticed that Kagome and Gaara had arrived. "Hey, you need or want any specific tools or anything, Gome?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head 'no.' "I'm sure that yours will work just fine. I will take a blank ofuda though."

Nodding, Nisha pulled one out of the air, as well as a brush full of ink, as she closed the portal to her 'pocket.'

Nodding her thanks, Kagome quickly wrote out the spell on the blank ofuda, then placed it over Sasuke's heart. "Ready whenever you are," Kagome announced.

Opening the scroll, Nisha unrolled it away from them, so it wouldn't get in anyone's way. While the others stared at the various items it held, she calmly removed a couple items and left the rest sitting there. With an odd trill, she summoned a fire elemental, this one an odd looking blue creature, similar to a cat or a dog, with a mane and tail of blue flames. Twitching his pointed ears, he looked up at Nisha calmly. "Mrae?"

"Hey Hon'no. Got to do a cleansing."

Nodding, the diminutive elemental curled up around the wrist of the hand holding the feather fan she'd pulled out. Flexing his little shoulders a bit, he caused his mane to flare a bit higher. Thanking him, she lit the end of the herb bundle that she held in her other hand. As the scent began to waft about them, Kagome sniffed delicately. "Just what's in that," she asked curiously.

Nisha gave a small smile. "Nicotiana Rustica, Salvia Officinalis, Juniperus Virginiana, and Heirochloe Odorata. It's a mix borrowed from some of the native cultures in our world. Now, you do your thing, and I'll do mine, and after that, Sasuke should be all clean."

Nodding, Kagome placed one hand flat over the ofuda and held the other perpendicular to her chest, right in line with her breast bone, with all five fingers pointing straight up. As she summoned her mikoki, Sasuke looked to Nisha. "Do I need to do anything in particular?"

"Just hold your arms out at least part way for me, that's it," she answered, blowing on the herb bundle. As he did so, she nodded to Kagome, and both began. While Kagome chanted an old prayer taught to her by Miroku and Kaede, Nisha chanted hers in a sing-song whisper while she gently fanned the smoke all over Sasuke's body, starting at his head and going all the way down his body before going back up again. She paid special attention to his heart and his head. When she finished, she gave the remains of the bundle to Hon'no and asked him to place it in the middle of the Uchiha compound. Once it had burned all the way down, he was free to do whatever, just no scaring the mundanes. Giving her cheek a lick, the elemental disappeared.

As Kagome finished, the ofuda, which had been steadily darkening throughout the whole thing, suddenly turned black and burst into flames. As it floated to the ground, all four watched it burn to ash with wide eyes.

Her eyes still rather large, Nisha turned to Sasuke. "Well. How do you feel?"

Closing his eyes, the teen took a deep breath. Opening them, he grinned at her. "Amazing. Thank you." And with that, he pulled both her and Kagome into a massive hug. As he pulled away, the grin still in place, he turned to Nisha. "Would you and your elementals mind helping me disable all the traps?"

She laughed. "Hai."

Laughing himself, he took off through the trees. Placing a hand on Nisha's arm, Kagome stopped her. "We had help, didn't we. Help of a divine nature?"

Nisha just rolled her eyes at her in a 'duh' gesture. Kneeling, she put her fan in it's place on the scroll and resealed it. As she stood back up, Gaara noticed the Konoha hitai-ite. Blinking, he calmly asked Kagome to remind him to get a Sunan hitai-ite for both her and Nisha. Blinking back, Kagome nodded. Chuckling, Nisha asked if he wanted to borrow one of her critters and send it to Suna with a note. As she put the scroll back in her 'pocket,' he said that he would think on it. Nodding, she asked if she'd see them at the restaurant later. Once Kagome nodded, Nisha took off after Sasuke, hoping to keep him from startling the villagers too much.


End file.
